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Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark

A view of the chapel as you walk towards the entrance from the road, highlighting the tallest concrete wall of the structure.

The Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark is an Anglican chapel on the campus of Thorneloe University, located in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. The chapel was constructed in 1968, following a family donation made in memory of George Parker Fielding and Agnes Caesar Fielding, members of a founding family of Sudbury. It was designed by Arthur Townend Sr. and Stefura & Baleshta Architects, and built by Neil Smith Construction Ltd., both of which are Sudbury firms.

Design

A view of the Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark from the bottom of the tallest wall that points to the east, where the Messiah is said to rise again.

The chapel was proposed by the Anglican leaders of the region, so the designers took inspiration from stories in the Christian faith and implemented them into the building design.

The Chapel of St. Mark was originally constructed as a one room building consisting of seven triangular walls, each rotated slightly and ascending in size, to form a spiral. In the Bible, seven is a holy number that is representative of completion or divine fulfillment. The seven walls are symbolic of the seven days of creation. The seventh day, represented by the seventh wall, is said to evoke the Sabbath, which, in the Book of Genesis, is the day when God rested. Also, it is said in Revelations that the sounding of the seventh trumpet by the seventh angel will harold in the salvation of the church. The importance of the number seven was built into the structure.

The highest of the concrete walls is situated toward the rising sun in the East, toward the direction from which Jesus is prophesied to return. As stated in the Bible; “For as lightning that comes from the East is visible even in the West, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:27 (NIV). The entrance is located at the highest elevation, between the tallest and shortest wall, or seventh and first walls. As visitors enter the worshiping space, they descend into the earth.

Pointing towards the East, the layout of the walls and the windows between them also follows the path of sun, allowing for  sunlight, often associated in Christianity with God, to penetrate and illuminate the space with bright colours. As the sun moves from East to West, it penetrates the building through the stained glass windows, creating reflections on the concrete walls. The Eastern sun creates reflections of deep purple and blue light, which evolve into cyan in the afternoon, then into a soft yellow as the sun migrates West.

Light is another conceptual element of this build, which is also a major theme found throughout the Bible. Light can symbolize wisdom, hope, knowledge and goodness. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  James 1:17 (NIV).

Renovations

Photo of the Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark showing the renovation of the entrance to include a ramp for accessibility.

After Thorneloe University was established in 1961, the Diocese of Algoma (the Anglican leaders of the region) decided that there was a need for a chapel on the campus that reflected their faith. In 1968, the chapel was constructed with many aspects of the Christian faith in mind; however, it contained barriers for people with disabilities, namely a set of stairs leading up to the entrance of the building. The chapel underwent a renovation in 2011, subsequent to donations from the Fielding family, the Anglican Foundation of Canada and other donors. One of the main targets of this renovation was to address some of the accessibility issues in the space. The renovation, designed by Castellan James + Partners and executed by SRS Contracting, included the addition of a new barrier-free entrance at grade that cuts through a section of one of the concrete walls. Also, a 400 square foot addition was made to the building that included a barrier-free washroom, a kitchenette, and storage facilities. With these additions also came the installation of new flooring, new windows, new lighting, an upgraded electrical system, and internet access.

Affiliations

Thorneloe University

Thorneloe University is one of seven Anglican post-secondary institutions in Ontario. The Campus itself is located south of the much larger Laurentian University, which it used to be affiliated with. While being a small school, the campus’ facilities include a residence building with 58 rooms, a theatre, classrooms, and the Fielding Memorial Chapel of St. Mark.

Awards

In 2017, the chapel was awarded the Ontario Association of Architects Landmark Award. This award recognizes buildings constructed prior to 1990 that demonstrate a lasting contribution to the community, as well as architectural endurance and beauty. The Chapel is recognized as being culturally significant and as such, has been listed in the City of Greater Sudbury’s Heritage Registry and thus protected under the Ontario Heritage Act.